Greenwood signs with Crows

Hugh Greenwood becomes a CrowThe Adelaide Crows have today signed former professional basketballer Hugh Greenwood on a rookie contract. Here are some of his footy and basketball highlights.

Hugh is a gifted and unique athlete who is driven to play sport at the highest possible level.

Hamish Ogilvie

The Crows have signed former Australian basketballer Hugh Greenwood on a rookie contract.

Greenwood, 23, was most recently on the playing roster of NBL franchise, the Perth Wildcats. He also trialled with NBA side Utah Jazz in May, and represented the Boomers at international senior level as recently as last year.

Greenwood was a talented junior footballer, who represented Tasmania at the Under-16 National Championships in 2007. Standout performances saw him offered both basketball and football scholarships at the Australian Institute of Sport as a 15-year-old.

Click on the play button above to watch Greenwood in action for Tasmania at the Under-16 National Championships in 2007

The 193cm, 93kg, athlete opted to pursue basketball and later headed to the United States where he attended the University of New Mexico Lobos and carved out an impressive college career, leading his team to five championships and being named co-MVP in his final season.

Crows National Recruiting Manager Hamish Ogilvie and his team have tracked Greenwood and remained in regular contact for the best part of a decade.

He joins Adelaide as a Category B rookie on a two-year contract.

“At 193cm, Hugh is a gifted and unique athlete who is driven to play sport at the highest possible level,” Ogilvie said.

“He is fiercely competitive, lives to elite standards and is well aware that plenty of hard work lies ahead.”

Greenwood has good football pedigree. His late grandfather, Peter Marquis, played in three consecutive VFL premierships with Melbourne (1955-57) in his 99 games, and also represented Victoria. Marquis was inducted into the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Greenwood had AFL approval to spend the past two weeks at the Club’s training base. He said he was looking forward to making the transition to football.

“I am blessed and humbled to be given this opportunity by the Adelaide Footy Club,” Greenwood said.

“After a short visit to the Club earlier in the week, the professionalism and environment of the organisation as a whole is what impressed me the most.

“I know there will be plenty of challenges and obstacles ahead for me, but as an athlete that is what excites me and motivates me the most.”

Greenwood posted impressive results in endurance, sprint and agility testing in a recent pre-season session with the Wildcats.